Gel confections such as imitation fruit pieces, fruit bars, jelly bean centers, and sugared jellies have been prepared with sugar, water, and starch for many years. These confections have a firm, but soft, texture which contributes to their desirable mouthfeel. The gel confections are typically manufactured by a starch mold casting process known in the trade as the Mogul system. In this process, the ingredients are cooked at a temperature above the boiling point of the mixture and/or at a moisture level above that of the finished confection for a sufficient length of time to fully activate, or gelatinize, the starch. In a typical pressure cooking process for a commercial Mogul system, the ingredients are cooked at a moisture level of about 20 to 25 weight percent at a temperature of about 140.degree. to 180.degree. C. for less than about 1 minute. The strach is generally an acid-thinned (also known as thin-boiling) common corn starch or a high-amylose starch or a blend thereof. After cooking, the hot liquid mixture is deposited into a starch mold. The starch mold forms the confection and helps to reduce the moisture content. The deposited confections are then routinely dried for about 24 to 72 hours to reach the desired moisture content of about 14 to 20 weight percent.
There are many disadvantages of the Mogul system. High temperature cooking causes carmelization which is detrimental to flavor and appearance. Cooking at high moisture levels requires subsequent drying. However, cooking at lower temperatures and/or with lower moisture levels does not fully gelatinize the starch. Ungelatinized starch does not significantly contribute to gel structure and, instead, functions only as filler. The primary disadvantage of the Mogul system is probably that it is extremely slow, due to the necessity of drying. For these and other reasons, a demand exists for a gel confection process which is faster, uses lower temperatures, and forms the confection at the desired moisture level.
Such a process is disclosed in Moore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,055, issued Jan. 28, 1986, which is incorporated by reference. The Moore process comprises heating and extruding a mixture of sugar, water, and about 12 to 20 weight percent of a cold-water-swelling starch having an especially high gel strength. The starch is gelatinized as the mixture passes through the extruder, which subjects the mixture to heat and shear under high pressure. Optional ingredients include colors, flavors, fruit purees, juice concentrates, and acidulants. The relatively high level of the cold-water-swelling, high-gel-strength starch is employed to give the mixture a sufficiently-high viscosity for forming at the moisture level of the confection. This high level of starch also contributes to a final product texture which is firm, but more resilient than the traditional Mogul system gel confection.
Accordingly, a demand still exists for a process for preparing gel confections which is fast, uses moderate temperatures, forms the confection at or near final moisture level, and produces a gel confection which has the same textural character as the traditional Mogul system gel confection.